Process and apparatus for the separation of materials from a medium

Abstract

For the separation of at least one material from a liquid or gaseous medium, with a specific gravity different from the medium, the flowing mixture of material and medium is set into rotation about an axis oriented in parallel to its flow-off direction, the material is separated from the medium by centrifugal forces, and discharged separately from the purified medium. The velocity of the rotation of the mixture of material and medium is increased by an increasing reduction of the radius of the rotary movement. The medium is discharged from the device by means of mutually coaxially opposed dip pipes. An apparatus (10) for performing the process comprises a baffle (112) for producing the rotary motion of the introduced mixture in a separating chamber (113). The purified medium is withdrawn from the separating chamber (113) by way of mutually opposed dip pipes (114, 115), the cross section of which is smaller than that of the separating chamber (113). The separated material is discharged by way of a secondary cyclone (118) and a pipe (120).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In an apparatus for separating at least one material from a fluid medium by centrifugal force, said material having a different specific gravity from the medium, comprising a housing, means for producing rotation of the mixture of material and medium around an axis parallel to a direction of flow within the housing, a separation chamber, into which the sides of dip pipes (8, 9, 92, 93, 105, 106), coaxial with one another and opposite to one another, project, the separated medium flowing from the separation chamber through a said dip pipe, and a discharge opening (13, 99) for the separated material; the improvement wherein said discharge opening (13, 99) for the separated material is provided on an end of the housing opposite an intake opening for the mixture, a lower of said dip pipes (8, 93, 106) adjacent said discharge opening (13, 99) emerges laterally from said housing, and wherein a guide device (12, 95, 107) of cone shape is disposed adjacent an upper end of said lower dip pipe (8, 93, 106), said guide device being of sheet metal (12, 98, 107), and having the shape of an upwardly tapering jacket of a frustum that is connected by an end of smaller diameter to said lower dip pipe (8, 93, 106) in a fluid-tight manner. 
     
     
       2. In an apparatus for separating at least one material from a fluid medium by centrifugal force, said material having a different specific gravity from the medium, comprising a housing, means for producing rotation of the mixture of material and medium around an axis parallel to a direction of flow within the housing and a separation chamber, into which the sides of dip pipes (28, 29) coaxial with one another and opposite to one another, project, the separated medium flowing from the separation chamber through a said dip pipe, and a discharge opening (33) for the separated material; the improvement wherein said discharge opening (33) for the separated material is provided on an end of the housing opposite an intake opening for the mixture in the apparatus and emerges laterally from said housing, a lower of said dip pipes (28, 78), provided in the area of said discharge opening being straight, and a cone-shaped guide device disposed adjacent an upper end of said lower dip pipe, said guide device being of sheet metal (12, 98, 107), and having the shape of an upwardly tapering jacket of a frustum that is connected by an end of smaller diameter to said lower dip pipe (8, 93, 106) in a fluid-tight manner. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lower dip pipe (8, 93, 106) has a curved section (201), which emerges through a cone-shaped lower area (200) of the housing. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a roof-shaped guide member (205), resting on said lower dip pipe (8, 93, 106), is provided in a gusset between a wall (10, 96) of said housing and said lower dip pipe (8, 93, 106). 
     
     
       5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said roof-shaped guide member (205) has a ridge (208) which is at least partially horizontal. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said roof-shaped guide member (205) has a ridge (208) which is at least partly concavely curved as seen from above. 
     
     
       7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said ridge (208) has a part (210) sloping from a housing wall (200) toward said lower dip pipe (201). 
     
     
       8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said sloping part is said concavely curved part (210) of said ridge (208) of said guide member (205). 
     
     
       9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said ridge (208) of said guide member (205) has a horizontal part (209) adjacent to said lower dip pipe (201) and said concavely curved section (210) adjacent to said wall of the housing. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said roof-shaped guide member (205) consists of two sheet metal parts (206, 207). 
     
     
       11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sheet metal parts (206, 207) extend between surfaces of a said lower dip pipe (201) and of a housing wall (200) facing one another. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sheet metal parts (206, 207) of said guide member (205) each have at least a planar and a curved area (212, 211). 
     
     
       13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said curved area (211) of said sheet metal parts (206, 207) of said guide member (205) is concavely curved as seen from above. 
     
     
       14. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sheet metal parts (206, 207) forming said guide member (205) have a planar area (212) extending downward from a straight part (209) of a ridge (208) and a curved area (211) extending downward from a bent part (210) of said ridge (208).